The Christmas Quest

I like the two leads, but I didn't like the movie.

This was marketed as an adventure/mystery, maybe even borderline suspense. I didn't find any of those things in this movie.

There was too much of a lack of urgency for this to be an adventure. It was meandering at best.

I never once felt afraid for them. Bad writing? Bad acting? Maybe a little of both.

The ending is from the moon. All of that yammering and concern about breaking a code to find this giant pot of whatever at the end of the Iceland rainbow led to this? A stale cake in an old room full of what consists of Christmas crap. The only real mystery is who lit those candles and turned on the lights?

Bizarre.

Right, well I didn't really know what I was in for here, I mean, sure I figured it was a Christmas movie given the movie's title, and since it was a Hallmark movie.

But writers Andrew Gernhard, Marcy Holland and Dustin Rikert broke the traditional Hallmark sappy Christmas movie and delivered something very different. This was sort of a strange hybrid of sappy Christmas movie meets "Indiana Jones". And truth be told, I actually liked it. It was a refreshing change of pace for Hallmark, and it was actually an entertaining storyline that the writers had pieced together. So color me entertained throughout the course of the 84 minutes that the movie ran for.

Sure, there were many things throughout the movie that just didn't really make much of any sense, but this is a movie meant for entertainment, not to be a study in science and human behavior.

It was nice to see a Hallmark movie taking place somewhere outside of USA. Iceland was quite a nice setting for the movie, but of course, it had to be there, given the contents of the storyline.

Of the entire cast ensemble, I was only familiar with leading actress Lacey Chabert, whom actually carried this role quite well. I will say that the acting performances in the movie were good, and it was nice to see so many Icelandic talents on the screen. I just wonder why they weren't speaking more Icelandic throughout the course of the movie. But of course keeping it English appeals to a broader audience.

Visually, then the movie was good. I really liked the Icelandic scenery, because it added so much beauty and grace to the movie.

If you enjoy Christmas movies, and looking for something that breaks the traditional sugar-coated sappy Hallmark formula, then "The Christmas Quest" could be a movie to check out. I was genuinely entertained throughout the course of the entire movie.

While "The Christmas Quest" doesn't have the contents to become a Christmas classic, I will say that it is a movie that is well-worth sitting down to watch a single time.

My rating of director Dustin Rikert's 2024 movie "The Christmas Quest" lands on a six out of ten stars.

This movie is worth watching for the great shots of Iceland scenery, and just for the novelty of a film shot in Iceland, with bits of Icelandic culture thrown in for good measure.

We have a distinct Indiana Jones style flavor her, with that heroic character even mentioned out loud, as a rich sponsor convinces Lacy, and archeologist, to unravel clues and find a treasure hidden hundreds of years ago.

Polaha plays a language expert, and her ex-husband, reluctantly recruited to join her and translate the clues they will find as they follow a puzzle step by step around the island.

Forget that the clues are in places that would have been found LONG ago, the movie is fun and certainly worth your time.

This movie was so ridiculous, it's perfectly emblematic why I watch them. I was literally screaming at the screen. Who lit the candles! How did her mom know she would be there at Christmas! How did the old cave have electricity! How were the potatoes not rotten! WHY THE CAKE. Why does an archeologist travel with a ball gown! Why did the old people invite them to decorate their tree when they literally just found their cat! That movie made me feel like I was losing my mind. Seriously though the lights will haunt me.

But Iceland really is magical, that part is true. 10/10 recommend Iceland but maybe not this movie.

It is the Christmas season. Norse experts, Stefanie Baxter (Lacey Chabert) and ex-husband Chase Baxter (Kristoffer Polaha), go to Iceland to search for the legendary Yule Lads. She is following her mother's research while others are in pursuit. She just doesn't have a gun.

First, there are a lot of Icelandic words. I don't know any of them. I can't remember them. It is in one ear and out the other. Some of the local customs are interesting, but it's almost the same thing. I know that this is a Hallmark movie. They are not going to do gunfights, but they could generate some thrills. At last, the Hallmark gene is too strong and there is no urgency in this quest. They are more likely to take a leisurely walk than go running and jumping.